Dance Into The Night
by AnimeDutchess
Summary: Palletshipping, AU, Oneshot. Ash always wore the crimson dress he made when he went to dance in the plaza. He just never expected to meet such a beautiful stranger there.


_**Dance Into The Night**_

By AnimeDutchess

A/N: "Into The Night" By Santana featuring the lead singer of Nickleback...yeah, I have it on repeat on my mp3 player, and this is what my mind came up with. Go figure. XD

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Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon...because by now, you all know what I'd make canon. X3

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He only wore this dress when he danced. It was some kind of thin cotton that fluttered with the weakest breeze, and it seemed to turn into liquid when songs controlled his movements, the ruffles fluttering like crimson rose petals scattered into the wind. He had made it himself, in secret; his mother was a busy seamstress who never seemed to notice when bolts of fabric and thread went missing, or if a machine still felt hot after a night of apparent unuse.

It had taken him many months, but when it was finished, it was beautiful, fitted especially for him, and he took every oppertunity he could to sneak downtown and dance in the plaza, where there was always a band playing and a grateful audiance. None could distinguish his nighttime persona from the kindhearted young boy who delivered things all over town for his workaholic mother; they thought that he was a mysterious, young gypsy girl who put her heart and soul in every step she took.

It was a cool, summer night that changed his entire world. He had finally saved up enough of his own money to buy a pair of shoes that made the most beautiful tapping sound when they hit the bricks of the plaza, matching his dress in its perfect shade of red. There was also a fresh red rose clipped into his short, raven hair, and he eagerly made his way to the center of the plaza where the latest band was waiting for him, having heard of the town's famed dancing gypsy from many others. Regulars to the plaza applauded his apperance, and he bowed slightly to them, while the travelers who often flitted in and out of towns like this one raised their eyebrows in confusion.

Then the drums started, and his body belonged to the music only. He twirled and tapped and swayed to the thumps of the drums, the strums of the guitar, the calls of the horns...spinning faster and faster, then slowing down to take in his cheering audiance, clapping in time to the music. He could pick out faces that were familliar and faces that were not, old and young and in between, the gleams in their eyes ranging from amazed to adoring to-

He was lucky that the song ended when the sight of green eyes staring at him stopped him in his tracks. Everyone in town had brown eyes; even he had been given copper irises, and anyone with different eyes was obviously a foreigner. He looked over the stranger carefully.

The owner of the green eyes was probably only a couple years older than he, with the attire and complexion of one who could afford higher education, like a majority of those from the northern edge of the country. His auburn hair was artfully spiked, and the rim of a glass filled with an amber concoction was only inches away from his perfect lips.

_Oh Lord... _He felt his face heat up at the sight of the stranger, and he tugged the collar of his dress slightly. The audience was unaware of his flustered state; they clapped and cheered and chanted for another dance. The musicians seemed eager to play for him again, and he knew that he couldn't disappoint his fans...

"Excuse me!" The green-eyed stranger exclaimed, shoving his glass into the hand of a bystander and making his way through the crowd...towards _him._ The people parted like the Red Sea for Moses, and the entire crowd silenced; no one had ever dared to approach the "gypsy girl" during one of these dances. His copper eyes widened as the stranged came to a stop just a foot away and held out his hand.

"Would you do me the honor..." He started, his voice cautious, "Of letting me dance with you?"

The entire crowd erupted into hushed whispering at this new phenomenon, and he thought his heart would burst out of his chest. This drop-dead gourgeous stranger was asking him to dance...and probably thought he was some spicy little gypsy girl. That last thought saddened him, but there was no way he could pass up such a wonderful oppertunity. He gave green-eyes a soft, sweet smile, placing his hand into the older boy's.

"Gladly." And as the crowd gasped in shock, the stranger grinned, and he grinned back. He inclined his head to the band and nodded, a new song starting up, faster this time, and the pair was immidiately lost in the throws of the melody and rhythm. The audience, now over being stunned, now cheered them on harder than he had every heard them cheer, their feet stomping and hands clapping in time to the beat. The stranger led the dance well, his touches both gentle and strong, and he willingly submitted to them, spinning at just the right times and moving his feet in just the right ways.

As the notes played on, the two dancers inched closer and closer together, until their bodies were just the width of a hair away, and he could feel the stranger's breath on his cheek and neck. It was somewhat sweet, as if he'd been drinking some sort of sweet liquor; not too much to be drunk, mind you, but just a sip or two. He could hear the music reaching its end, and he was becoming sad again; he wanted the dance to continue on through time, so they could stay this close together and...

He snapped back to reality when the stranger's hands found his waist, pulling their bodies together, their noses touching, and he could clearly identify what the piercing gaze of the green eyes meant, could feel the building tension in both their bodies. The last note from a horn sounded, and the stranger's lips were coming closer to his own, and the warning bells were going off in his head. He hastily clamped a hand over his mouth and ripped himself from the stranger's grasp, turning tail and running away as fast as he could. If he heard the stranger's protests or the upset cries of the crowd, no one knew, but he still kept running until he entered an alleyway lit by strings of light hung between buildings, reaching a dead-end. He leaned against the wall and cried in frustration, his tears hot as they slid down his cheeks.

He knew what he did was not right. Men were not supposed to wear frocks and dance so beautifully, but deep down in his heart he knew that this was what he wanted...deep down, he would rather go to bed with another man than any woman in existance. If anyone found that out, he and his poor mother would be ostracized everywhere they went, just because what he felt wasn't according to nature's laws...

Oh, how could he have decieved that stranger into thinking he was a woman? How could he have tricked so many people to believe such a horrible lie? He sobbed harder, wiping away at his eyes madly.

"...Excuse me?"

His sobs were silenced by the stranger's voice. He spun around to face him, surprised that he was only a foot away. Shouldn't he have heard him coming? He gave the stranger a suspicious glare.

"W-What?" He managed to choke out. Green eyes that were once hypnotized by the music were now apologetic.

"I didn't mean to scare you away." The stranger took a step forward, and he tried to step back, but his back hit the cold wall of the building.

"Please...just leave me alone!" The tears were coming faster now. "If you knew what I was, you wouldn't...wouldn't have even looked my way..." He dropped his gaze to his feet, his head drooping with it. He didn't see the stranger smile sadly, or shrink the space between them, but he did feel the hand that touched his chin and raised his head back up, his copper gaze meeting an emerald one.

"If you weren't a boy..." The stranger said slowly, "I wouldn't have even given you a second thought." And their lips met.

The world seemed to stop spinning for both of them, the moment stretching for eons, and it ended just as quickly as it began when the stranger gently pulled away. Copper eyes watched him, amazed, as he traced the zig-zags on the younger boy's cheeks with his thumb.

"What's...you're name?" The stranger asked huskily. It took a minute for him to register what he was asked.

"...Ash."

"Hm...Ash, huh? That's nice..." The stranger gave Ash a soft peck on the forehead. "Mine's Gary. It's nice to meet you."

"Nice...to meet you, too..." Ash's body was weakening from every touch the older boy gave him, and he found himself leaning his head against Gary's chest. The emerald-eyed boy chuckled, wrapping his arms around the smaller one.

"I'm new here," Gary said, rocking back and forth on his heels slightly. "I moved in this morning, and saw a boy making a delivery to my neighbor..." Ash's eyes widened at his words. "Imagine my surprise when I see that same boy in such a fetching outfit, dancing his heart out for the entire town..." The younger boy looked up at him in disbelief.

"How did you know...?"

"I notice things."

"...Oh..."

"You're an amazing dancer."

"...Thank you."

"..." Gary looked down at him thoughtfully. "Might we be...friends, of a sort? At least to start with." He smiled. "I would sure love to dance with you again."

Ash's cheeks were stained red. "O-Of course..." He tightened his grip on the older boy slightly. "And I'd dance with you again in a heartbeat." Another chuckle.

"You'e fallen for me that quickly, I suppose?" He unwound his arms from around Ash and took his hand, pulling him out of the alleyway onto a deserted street. The raven-haired boy grasped his hand tightly.

"Where are we going?" He asked as their footfalls echoed. Gary just grinned.

"To the outskirts of the city, the forest!" They made a sharp turn and kept running, Ash surprised that, even in his new shoes, he had no trouble keeping up. "We shall dance to the music of the night!"

Later, when they did make it to the silvery-blue forest, with the crickets chirping and owls hooting, and the wind roaring through the trees, they danced a dance that lovers do, knowing that the world was theirs and there was nothing to fear.

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A/N: ...Freaking AWESOME right there! I poured so much into this, you have no idea! And it came out GREAT! Hell, this could've been an original work, if I wanted, but no, I wanted you guys to have such an awesome gem from my imagination! I swear, this is my best work yet! XDD;;;

Anyway, ah...please review me! I can't wait to see what you all think! Ja Ne! - AnimeDutchess


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